When I’m abroad, I often get asked who of the leaders of the Russian opposition I think stands out in some way. Usually I name Boris Nemtsov, Garry Kasparov, and Vladimir Ryzhkov. In doing so I always reiterate that I am not a political scientist, not a specialist, not an expert, and god knows not some kind of maven on the subject of Russian political reality… My opinion, it is absolutely subjective, as such I’ll explain some of my perspectives before getting into this interview, so the reader knows what they are getting.

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Personal impressions play a role: I am acquainted with Vladimir Ryzhkov and Garry Kasparov. These days Boris Nemtsov is known as the leader of the Solidarnost opposition movement, but he has a long history in politics, as the head of the SPS political party, and even earlier he was vice prime minister of the Russian Federation. I had come into contact with Nemtsov a long time ago, but only in writing. At that time, when I was sitting in jail, he had helped as he could, especially my lawyers. And so it was that a few days ago we finally met face to face. Perhaps even this meeting never would have happened if I felt the same level of consistent disillusionment towards Boris as I do with regard to many of his former SPS colleagues. But I don’t.

I am not convinced by the arguments of his critics, those who say he can’t be trusted in office because of his past: none of these critics seem able to point out what he specifically did that was so bad for Russia, earning him a placement in the ranks of Chubais, Gaidar, and Kiriyenko. On the contrary – he did a lot for the country. At any rate, a lot more than his current opponents ever did. He is consistent: in his antagonism towards Putin and in his politics (if this can even be called politics), in his commitment to democratic principles of the development of the country and society… You cannot accuse him of corruption or illicit gain: if you could, then Putin would have done this long ago with the hands of his very own KGB. And, if he really were the kind of guy who “gets with the program”, he’d be sitting in a cushy office under the gloomy shadow of the wings of today’s power right now.